Indlela Ithelevishini Eye Yashintsha Ngayo Umhlaba

EHLOBO elidlule, [enhla nenkabazwe] iTV yashintsha umhlaba waba inkundla yezemidlalo yembulunga yonke. ERoma, eNtaliyane, imigwaqo yayingenamuntu. Cishe abantu baseNtaliyane abayizigidi ezingu-25 babebukela imidlalo kanobhutshuzwayo yeNdebe Yomhlaba. EBuenos Aires, eArgentina, imigwaqo ngokufanayo yayingenamuntu, futhi kwakungenxa yesizathu esifanayo. ECameroon, eNtshonalanga Afrika, ukukhanya okufanayo okuluhlaza ngokumpunga kwakuphayiza ngokwesabekayo emafasiteleni njengoba izigidi zazihalalisa ngobunye. ELebanon ekhungethwe yizimpi, amasosha eyamisa amathelevishini phezu kwezinqola zempi ezingasebenzi ukuze abukele. Ngesikhathi umqhudelwano ufinyelela umvuthwandaba wawo, izakhamuzi zomhlaba ezilinganiselwa kwesisodwa kweziyisihlanu zazibukela, zibunganyele lelibhokisi njengezimvemvane zasebusuku zibunganyele amalangabi, ubuso bazo bukhanyiswe ukukhanya kwalo okuphaphathekile.

Lesisenzakalo seTV esikhulu sasingeyona ingqayizivele. Ngo-1985 cishe isigamu sesithathu sezakhamuzi zomhlaba​—⁠abantu abangaba ngu-1 600 000 000⁠—​sabukela ikhonsathi yerock ebizwa ngokuthi iLive Aid. Iziphuphutheki eziningi zasakaza loluhlelo ngemisebe emazweni angaba ngu-150, kusukela eIceland kuya eGhana.

ITV​—⁠lelibhokisi elikuyo yonke indawo belilokhu liyimbangela yenguquko ewumshoshaphansi. Ezobuchwepheshe zakhula zisuka ekwenzeni izihenqo ezincanyana, eziphayizayo zeminyaka yawo-1920 nawo-1930 kuya ezihenqweni eziphambili zobuciko zanamuhla, ezinombala ocacile nogqamile, ngaso lesosikhathi zishoshozela ukwanda kwawo emhlabeni wonke. Ngo-1950 kwakunamathelevishini angaphansi kwayizigidi eziyisihlanu emhlabeni. Namuhla, cishe kunangu-750-​000 000.

Izenzakalo ezinjengemidlalo kanobhutshuzwayo yeNdebe Yomhlaba zimane zibonisa amandla eTV okuhlanganisa imbulunga yonke esimisweni esisodwa sokusakaza ukwaziswa. ITV iye yayishintsha indlela abantu abathola ngayo ukwazi ngomhlaba obazungezile. Iye yasiza ekusakazeni izindaba nemiqondo, ngisho nempucuko nezindinganiso, ukusuka kwelinye izwe kuya kwelinye, ngaphandle komzamo yeqa imingcele yezombangazwe neyokuma kwezwe eyake yavimbela ukuthambekela okunjalo. ITV iye yashintsha umhlaba. Abanye bathi nawe ingakushintsha.

UJohannes Gutenberg waziwa kabanzi ngokuthi waguqula zonke izindlela zokuxhumana lapho iBhayibheli lokuqala liphuma emshinini wakhe wokunyathelisa ngo-1455. Manje isigijimi esisodwa sasesingafinyelela ngokushesha abantu abaningi kakhulu ngesikhathi esifushane, ngezindleko ezincishiswe kakhulu. Ohulumeni ngokushesha babona amandla ezokunyathelisa base bezama ukuwalawula ngemithetho yezimvume. Kodwa ukwaziswa okunyathelisiwe kwakuqhubeka kufinyelela kubantu abaningi ngokwengeziwe. Ekuqaleni kwawo-1800, isazi-mlando uAlexis de Tocqueville saphawula ukuthi amaphephandaba ayenamandla angavamile okutshala umqondo ofanayo ezingqondweni ezingu-10 000 ngosuku olulodwa.

Manje ake ucabangele ithelevishini. Ingatshala umqondo ofanayo ezingqondweni ezingamakhulukhulu ezigidi​—⁠konke ngalesosikhashana esifanayo! Futhi ngokungafani nokwaziswa okulotshiwe, ayidingi ukuba izibukeli zayo zifundiswe ikhono eliyinkimbinkimbi lokufunda, futhi ayiziceli ukuba zizakhele izithombe nemifanekiso yazo siqu engqondweni. Ikhipha izigijimi zayo ngezithombe nomsindo nakho konke ukuyenga ezingakukhiqiza.

Akubathathanga isikhathi eside abezombangazwe ukuba babone amandla amakhulu ethelevishini. EUnited States, uDwight D. Eisenhower wasebenzisa iTV ngobuhlakani emkhankasweni wakhe wokuba umongameli ngo-1952. Ngokwencwadi ethi Tube of Plenty​—⁠The Evolution of American Television, uEisenhower waphuma phambili okhethweni ngoba wazibonakalisa eyimbangi “ethengiseka” kakhudlwana kwabezindaba. Lencwadi ibonisa ukuthi iTV kungenzeka ukuthi yafeza indima enkulu ngisho nangokwengeziwe ekunqobeni kukaJohn F. Kennedy uRichard M. Nixon okhethweni luka-1960. Lapho lezimbangi zinenkulumo-mpikiswano kuTV, uKennedy wathola amaphuzu amaningi ezibukelini kunoNixon. Nokho, abantu abezwa inkulumo-mpikiswano efanayo emsakazweni baba nomuzwa wokuthi babelingana ngamaphuzu. Kungani kwaba nalomehluko? UNixon wabonakala ephaphathekile futhi omelele, kanti uKennedy wayewumqemane futhi enebala eligqunqile, ebonisa ukuzethemba nobungqabavu. Ngemva kokhetho, uKennedy wathi ngethelevishini: “Besingeke silinuke lelithuba ukuba bekungeve kungenxa yalowomshini.”

“Lowomshini” waqhubeka wenza ukuba amandla awo ezwakale emhlabeni wonke. Abanye baqala ukuwubiza ngokuthi umbuso omkhulu wesithathu. Ezobuchwepheshe beziphuphutheki zenza abasakazi bakwazi ukusakaza ngemisebe izimpawu zabo zeqe imingcele yobuzwe ngisho nezilwandle. Abaholi bezwe basebenzisa iTV njengenkundla yokuqoqa ukusekela kwezizwe zonke nokujivaza izimbangi zabo. Abanye ohulumeni bayisebenzisa ekuthumeleni inkulumo-ze emazweni ayizitha. Futhi njengoba nje ohulumeni babezame ukulawula lokho okwakusungulwe uGutenberg lapho sebewaqonda amandla akho, ohulumeni abaningi bayibambisisa ithelevishini. Ngo-1986 cishe ingxenye yazo zonke izizwe yayisakaza kuphela izinhlelo ezilawulwa uhulumeni.

Nokho, ezobuchwepheshe ziye zenza kwaba nzima ngokuqhubekayo ukulawula iTV. Iziphuphutheki zanamuhla zithumela izimpawu ezifinyelela ngisho nasemakhaya anezingcingo zamaza ezikhexile ezincane ngokulinganiswa ukuba zamukele okusakazwayo. Amakhamera namakhasethi evideo amancane, aphathekayo, kanye nenqwaba yabathwebuli bezithombe abayizimfunda, kuye kwakhiqiza insada ngokuvamile enganqandeki yamarekhodi abukwayo cishe anoma yisiphi isenzakalo esifanele ukushicilelwa.

Enye inhlangano yezindaba yaseU.S., iCNN (Cable News Network [Isimiso Sokusakaza Izindaba Ngezintambo]) yeTurner Broadcasting, iqoqa imibiko yezindaba emazweni angaba ngu-80 bese iyidlulisela kuwo wonke umhlaba. Ukuhlanganisa kwayo imbulunga yonke, ubusuku nemini kungaguqula noma yisiphi isenzakalo sibe yindaba yezizwe zonke cishe ngesikhathi esifanayo.

Ngokwandayo, ithelevishini iye yashintsha ekubeni umqophi wezenzakalo zezwe yaba umlolongi wezenzakalo zezwe. ITV yafeza indima eyinhloko ochungechungeni lwezinguquko ezahlukumeza iMpumalanga Yurophu ngo-1989. Izixuku ePrague, eCzechoslovakia, zahlabelela emigwaqweni, zifuna “ukusakazwa kwezindaba bukhoma” kuTV. Futhi nakuba abafuni bezinguquko bake bachitha igazi ukuze balondoloze isakhiwo esithile sikahulumeni, inqaba, noma isiphephelo samaphoyisa, abafuni bezinguquko baka-1989 balwela okokuqala ngqá ukuba bathole imvume yokungena eziteshini zethelevishini. Eqinisweni, umbuso omusha waseRomania waqala ukubusa izwe esiteshini sethelevishini! Ngakho, ukubiza iTV ngokuthi umbuso omkhulu wesithathu akunakuba neze ihaba.

Kodwa iTV iye yenza okungaphezu kokuthonya inkundla yezombangazwe. Ngisho kwamanje isiyayishintsha impucuko nezindinganiso zomhlaba. IUnited States ivame ukumangalelwa ‘ngokubusa ezinye izizwe ngempucuko yayo,’ okuwukuthi, ngokuphoqelela impucuko yayo emhlabeni wonke ngethelevishini. Njengoba iUnited States yaba yizwe lokuqala ukuba inqwabelanise izinhlelo zezohwebo ezinembuyiselo, ekupheleni kwawo-1940 nangawo-1950, abakhiqizi baseMelika bakwazi ukuthengisela ezinye izizwe izinhlelo ngeqhezwana lalokho okwakuyozibiza khona ukuzikhiqizela izithombe zazo.

Ekupheleni kwawo-1980, iKenya yayithenga kwamanye amazwe amaphesenti afinyelela kwangu-60 ezithombe zayo zeTV; iAustralia, amaphesenti angu-46; iEcuador, amaphesenti angu-70; futhi iSpain, amaphesenti angu-35. Eziningi zalezi zazivela eUnited States. Esinye isithombe saseMelika esithi, Little House on the Prairie, sasakazwa emazweni angu-110. Isithombe iDallas sabonakala emazweni angu-96. Abanye bakhonona ngokuthi ubumtoti obuya ngokwezindawo babunyamalala kuthelevishini emhlabeni wonke, ukuthi umqondo wokugxila kweMelika ekwaneliseni izifiso zabantu nokuthanda izinto ezibonakalayo kwakusakazeka.

Izizwe eziningi ziphazamisekile ‘ngokubuswa kwezinye izizwe ngempucuko yesinye.’ ENigeria, abasakazi baye bakhonona ngokuthi ukufakwa kwezithombe zakwamanye amazwe kuyayigugula impucuko yesizwe; bakhathazekile ngokuthi izibukeli zaseNigeria zibonakala zinolwazi oluningi ngeUnited States neBrithani kunangeNigeria. AbaseYurophu banomuzwa ofanayo. Ekuhlanganeni kwamuva kukakhongolose waseU.S., isikhulu sokusakaza uRobert Maxwell ngokuthukuthela sathi: “Asikho isizwe okufanele sibekezelele ukunqotshwa kwempucuko yaso esinye isizwe.” Ngenxa yalokho, ezinye izizwe ziye zaqala ukubeka imingcele esibalweni sezinhlelo zakwamanye amazwe iziteshi ezingazisakaza.

‘Ukubuswa kwezinye izizwe ngempucuko yesinye’ kungase kulimaze okungaphezu kwezimpucuko. Kungase kulimaze ngisho neplanethi. Umqondo wokuthola manje konke okufisayo womphakathi waseNtshonalanga uye waba nengxenye ekungcolisweni komoya, ekufakweni kukashevu emanzini, ekonakalisweni okuvamile komhlaba. Njengoba umlobi weIndependent, iphephandaba laseLondon, akubeka: “Ithelevishini iye yaletha emhlabeni ithemba elikhazimulayo lenkululeko yezinto ezibonakalayo​—⁠ukuchuma kwaseNtshonalanga⁠—​elikhohlisayo, ngoba lingafinyelelwa kuphela ngokulimaza indawo yemvelo ezungezile ngokungenakulungiswa.”

Ngokusobala, ithelevishini ishintsha umhlaba namuhla, futhi ayiwushintsheli ebungconweni ngaso sonke isikhathi. Kodwa futhi inemiphumela ebathinta ngokuqonde kakhulu ngokwengeziwe abantu. Ingabe wena usengozini?

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 4]

Amaphephandaba angafaka umqondo othile ezingqondweni eziyizinkulungwane eziyishumi ngosuku olulodwa

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 5]

Ithelevishini ingafa-​ka umqondo othile ezingqondweni ezi-​ngamakhulu ezigidi ngalesosikhashana esifanayo